Assembly races are heating up

Darleene Barrientos

Local candidates have jump-started their fundraising campaigns for

next year’s assembly races, bringing in hundreds of thousands of

dollars a year before the primaries.

Assemblyman Dario Frommer and Assemblywoman Carol Liu will be

termed out and are seeking higher offices -- Frommer is running for

the office of state controller and Liu has an eye on state Sen. Jack

Scott’s seat, overseeing Senate District 21.

Frommer so far has raised about $43,400 from various sources, and

has spent $48,400 during the period from January to May 31, according

to campaign finance reports. Liu raised $43,300 during that same time

period and still has $31,641 in cash on hand for her campaign.

Frommer and Liu’s seats are the focus of much local contention.

Former Assemblyman Scott Wildman and Burbank Unified School Board

Trustee Paul Krekorian are both vying for the District 43 seat, which

includes Glendale and Burbank. Republican Michael Agbaba, of Burbank,

will also make a bid for the seat.

Wildman, who made an unsuccessful run in 2000 for the state

Senate, has raised $30,975, and has about $2,860 in cash on hand.

Krekorian raised $66,509 between January and July and has an ending

cash balance of $70,997.

A poll Krekorian commissioned in April showed he and Wildman tied

in name recognition. “It’s very flattering that, here we are, running

against a man who served four years in the assembly in this district

and we’re running even with him in the polls and ahead of him in

fundraising,” Krekorian said.

One name that is surprisingly absent from the list of candidates

is Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero, who has long been linked

to an assembly run. Quintero, who just won back his seat in this

year’s contentious Glendale City Council election, says he is still

considering a run, but has not decided yet.

“A lot of people have been encouraging me to run from different

walks of life -- business, civic, labor,” Quintero said. “It’s a good

opportunity for service. But there’s a huge election in November, so

I’m working with civic leaders, police, fire and teachers to defeat

some of those initiatives. I just think there’s still plenty of time

to decide before the June primary.”

For Liu’s seat, which oversees La Canada Flintridge, fundraising

is at a fever pitch. Among the five candidates vying for District 44,

Anthony Portantino and Diane Peterson-More are ahead in the

fundraising race. Peterson-More raised $148,475 between January and

June, and has $193,813 in cash on hand. Portantino, mayor of La

Canada Flintridge, raised $186,947 during the same period, and has

$283,708 in cash on hand.

“I’m pleased and honored and humbled that the district has been

warmly receiving my campaign so far,” Portantino said. “I’ve had very

few fundraisers, which is also kind of humbling that I’ve been able

to take the fundraising lead in a very short time.”

District 44 candidates also include Adam Murray, who has raised

$120,356; Brian Center, who has raised $82,466; and David Trujillo,

who did not have any contributions to report.

More than half a dozen people have decided to try to unseat

Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, who represents District 59, which

stretches from Apple Valley to La Crescenta. Candidates include Todd

Turoci, a former Hesperia deputy district attorney, former Sierra

Madre Councilman Bart Doyle and attorney and businessman Harry

Scolinos, who also made a bid last year for Rep. Adam Schiff’s seat.

Susan Slater, Allen Devan, Nicholas Lefler, Anthony Adams and James

Prunty round out District 59’s candidates.

Out of the seven vying for Mountjoy’s seat, only Adams and Turoci

reported any contributions between January and June. Adams raised

$128,277 and has a cash balance of $101,340, while Turoci raised

$100,000, but will reportedly return $81,400 to his brother, Chris

Turoci, because the loan exceeds state campaign contribution limits.

Assemblyman Keith Richman, who is running for state treasurer, has

raised a whopping $400,389 between January and June. Three candidates

are vying for Richman’s seat, which oversees the foothills portion of

Glendale -- Republicans Mary Barrientos and Cameron Smyth McLean and

Democrat Jim Alger. Barrientos was the sole candidate to report any

contributions between January and June, which totaled $7,800.